Egypt’s president displayed caution in new cabinet selection

President Mohamed Morsi swore in his first cabinet on Thursday, marking another major milestone in Egypt’s transition since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak last year. However, since some appointees are holdovers from the military government and longtime state employees, many are disappointed that promises of change in governance have come up short. Morsi and recently appointed Prime Minister Hisham Qandil have selected 35 ministers, 29 of whom are technocrats, and failed to appoint many members of various political factions, straying from commitments to form a unity government. Qandil appointed four ministers from the Muslim Brotherhood, including the minister of information. He did not challenge the power of the military keeping the Supreme Council of the Armed Force’s Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi in the post of defense minister. The only appointment seen as "revolutionary" was that of longtime advocate for judicial independence, Judge Ahmed Mekky, to the post of justice minister.

Syria

United Nations and Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan has resigned stating lack of international unity and support, increased militarization, and lack of commitment to a political solution to the seemingly intractable conflict. His resignation came before a vote in the U.N. General Assembly on Friday that would reprimand the Syrian government for the use of heavy weapons in primarily a symbolic gesture to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad as well as condemn the U.N. Security Council for failing to act to put an end to 17 months of violence. Further demonstrating lack of international unity, British Foreign Minister William Hague has committed more assistance to the Syrian opposition while Russia is reportedly sending three warships and 360 marines to the Syrian port of Tartus. It is unknown if the troops will remain in Syria, or if they plan to evacuate Russian citizens currently in the country, numbering around 30,000. Meanwhile, fighting continues in Aleppo as the United Nations predicts an imminent massive government assault on the city. The Syrian government has attacked opposition held areas with helicopter fire and heavy artillery, but the military has been building-up outside Aleppo seemingly preparing for a major bombardment. At the same time, 50 people were reportedly killed in clashes in Hama, and an estimated 21 civilians died in the shelling of Yamouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus.

Headlines  

• At least 12 people were killed in a series of attacks across Iraq, including twin bombings and two strikes on security officials in Baghdad, and an assault on a family in Kirkuk.
• An Italian embassy guard abducted over the weekend in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, was released unharmed after "tribal mediation" on Thursday.
• Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant held areas along the borders with Iran and Iraq after two weeks of clashes.  

Arguments & Analysis

‘Is there an alternative to chaos?’ (The Economist)

"FOR all the talk of an early endgame being played out in Syria in the aftermath of the bombing that killed four of Bashar Assad’s key security enforcers, Western governments and their intelligence services are not betting on the regime’s imminent collapse. The battle under way for Syria’s second city, Aleppo, may end with Mr Assad’s forces holding the centre and other key points while the rebels are forced back to the fringes, where they may nibble away for months. If Aleppo falls, the regime will probably go down fast. But that may not happen soon."

‘My departing advice on how to save Syria‘ (Kofi Annan, The Financial Times)
"Aleppo is under siege and the prospect of the loss of thousands more civilian lives in Syria is very high. The UN has condemned the further descent to civil war but the fighting goes on with no sign of relief for Syrians. Jihadist elements have been drawn into the conflict. There is also high concern for the security of Syria’s chemical and biological weapons. The international community has seemed strikingly powerless in its attempts to influence the brutal course of events – but this is by no means inevitable."

–By Jennifer Parker and Mary Casey